


The Fic Writer's Guide To Britain

by falsteloj



Category: Fandom - Fandom
Genre: Boarding School, British, British English, Britpicking, Celebrations, England (Country), English, High School, Holidays, Meta, Northern Ireland, Regional Holidays, School, Scotland, United Kingdom, Unoffical Holidays
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-07
Updated: 2014-10-07
Packaged: 2018-02-06 02:50:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1841557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falsteloj/pseuds/falsteloj
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some guides written in response to FAQ back in the day. </p><p>Starts with an introductory guide to the school system.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fic Writer's Guide To Britain

**Author's Note:**

> An earlier draft of this was up on my LJ back in the days when I had one. Here's an updated but still just as tongue-in-cheek version.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A list of things which are called different things on either side of the Atlantic... I've left out things which have been covered in earlier posts, and things which are covered in other posts I still haven't updated (insults and law & order).

**A/N: I relocated the other chapters to my blog (masterlist[HERE](http://www.babiafi.co.uk/2016/04/fic-writers-guide-to-britain.html)). They cover holidays, food, the school system, class, and music.**

* * *

 

 

**Around the House**

'Cell Phone' isn't something you're likely to hear in the UK, though US media ensures your average Brit would understand what it meant. 'Mobile phone' or simply 'mobile' is the preferred UK term. It's also more usual to say 'I'll **ring** you' than 'I'll **call** you'. 

In the US a 'den' is a room in the house. In the UK a 'den' is something children make to go and hide out in, by being adventurous and going outside, or by putting a bedsheet over the dining room table and crawling under it. The US 'den' is often said to be a kind of bonus room, and I suppose that so few UK houses have extra rooms that we don't really need a generic word for it!

Electrical outlet, whilst a term that would be understood, isn't in common usage. Instead we would say 'plug socket' or perhaps 'power point'. The UK uses a three pin plug (as shown below), and mains power is delivered at around 230 volts. The Plugs and Sockets Safety Regulation Act of 1994 made it illegal for most appliances (exemptions include electric shavers and toothbrushes) to be sold without an approved three pin plug in the UK - though into the 1980s it was common for new appliances not to come with a plug at all. BBC Bitesize shows you how to wire a UK plug, [HERE](http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_aqa_pre_2011/electricity/mainselectrev1.shtml).

Ground Floor vs. First Floor. What Americans would call the second floor, we would call the first floor - because you've had to go upstairs from the ground floor to get there. Alternatively you could have taken the 'lift', which is the usual British term for 'elevator'. 

'Faucets' are generally known as 'taps', as in 'tap water'. Incidentally, the UK is very proud of its water quality (not always with justification), and it is the norm for British tourists to refuse to drink anything other than bottled water no matter which foreign country they may find themselves in - though it's considered very middle class to buy bottled water for domestic consumption within the UK. It is also a widely held belief in the UK that the brilliant white Hollywood smile is the result of over fluoridation of drinking water, rather than the huge differences in dentistry (read more [HERE](http://angloyankophile.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/dentistry-in-us-vs-uk.html)). 

'Sellotape' is the generic term for 'sticky / scotch tape' in the UK, thanks to the popularity of the actual [sellotape brand](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellotape).

Another brand name which became the generic term is '[Hoover](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hoover_Company)'. The terms 'vacuum cleaner' and 'vacuuming' are perfectly understood, and even in general usage (just check out [this very famous ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q8inM0gKVo) for 'Shake n Vac'), but it is still more usual to say 'hoover' and 'hoovering'. It is also very common to say 'I am going to put the hoover 'round' rather than 'I am going to hoover'. 

'Garden' is much more commonly heard here than 'yard', and 'yard sales' are all but unknown. If you want to sell your unwanted junk you need to pack it up in your car and take it to the local '[car boot sale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_boot_sale)' ('boot' being the UK term for 'trunk'). These are generally held on Sunday mornings - church attendance in the UK is only about 6% so for most people there's nothing better to do of a Sunday AM than look for a bargain.

Also worth mentioning are US concepts like 'the laundry room' and 'mudroom' which lack UK equivalents. British houses, in general, are just much smaller than their US counterparts so we don't have the space for these things. Washing machines live in the kitchen, and even today less than half of UK households own a tumble dryer - washing (the more usual word for 'laundry') is hung outside on the washing line, or indoors on the radiators or a [clothes horse / rack](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothes_horse) to dry. Similarly only 2/5 of UK households have a dishwasher (lack of space being the main reason for many), and relatively few houses have attics / lofts, basements, garages, or even built in cupboards to serve as closets or as a pantry. Instead the norm is an upstairs airing cupboard on the landing for storing linen, etc, (and in many cases housing the water boiler), and a downstairs cupboard underneath the stairs used for storing things like the hoover and the ironing board - or your dead sister's child, depending on the individual's sensibilities...

* * *

 

**At Work and Out and About**

A 'sidewalk' is usually called a 'pavement', or 'footpath' (though the latter is a term more commonly used for paths not adjacent to a road). The pedestrian reigns supreme in the UK mindset and, accordingly, the offence of '[jaywalking](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaywalking)' does not exist. Although children learn the [Green Cross Code](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Cross_Code), which is periodically backed up by public information campaigns (e.g. [1970s Green Cross Man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRUBMBi_lp4), [1980s droid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvUSBpyPJVs), [1990s hedgehogs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnwxN24E2yY)), the onus is very much on motorists to be alert to hazards - eg. as in the hard hitting '[It's 30 For A Reason](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeUX6LABCEA)' adverts.

Some other car terms are 'boot' instead of 'trunk', and 'bonnet' instead of 'hood'. To fill your car up you would call in at the 'garage' or 'petrol station' - we don't call petrol 'gas' so the term 'gas station' isn't used. We use right hand drive and drive on the left side of the road, though the first left hand drive driving school [opened in 2014](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2647043/Skyscanner-launches-UKs-left-hand-driving-school-QUARTER-Brits-admit-scared-drive-abroad.html) to cater for people planning trips abroad. Enterprise Rent-a-Car run adverts highlighting the differences to sell their blend of 'UK car hire and US customer service', see [HERE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX5y4PPk1Zk).

Out and about you might see a [Royal Mail](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mail) van, but just to be awkward we prefer to call our mail 'post'. There's the 'post office', the '[post box](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_box)', and the 'postman / woman'. When your post is delivered it is generally pushed through the [letter box](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_box) in your front door, though some people do fit a small box for post onto the wall of their house. Experience with eBay, Etsy and the like has taught me that many US sellers seem reluctant to sell to or buy from overseas, stating that they don't understand international postage, etc. To a Brit that seems incredible, because living on a small island means we're constantly sending and receiving stuff from outside the country.

Postman Pat is the UK's most famous postman, with his signature [theme song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiFNt8nGffA).

The Xerox machine and 'xerography' are very rarely heard terms in the UK, to the point that many people would have no idea what the words meant. We would say photocopier and photocopying, though in the early days (those dark distant years of the 1970s, for example) 'duplicator [machine]' was common.

* * *

 

**Babies**

'Baby Reins' are basically toddler harnesses, attaching the wandering toddler to the mother's wrist or pushchair handle. My understanding is that they're little used in the US, but they go through phases of popularity here and are always a fairly common sight. Their popularity peaked in the mid 1990s following the infamous case of toddler [James Bulger](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Bulger) who was lured away while his mother's back was turned - and was then brutally murdered.

'Diapers' become 'nappies' in the UK. Eg. "I must change the baby's nappy." The word diaper is not used, but would be understood thanks to US media.

Similarly a 'pacifier' is known as a 'dummy'. Again, I think most people would understand the term 'pacifier' although it is rarely used domestically.

When it comes to baby transport, the usual terms in the UK are 'pram' or 'buggy' (i.e. baby carriage) and 'pushchair' (i.e. stroller), though US terms would be understood and would be unlikely to sound massively out of place.

A final comment about babies is 'co-sleeping' (i.e. sharing a bed with the baby). Officially the US stance on it is even stricter than the UK's, but popularly it seems like there is more advocacy and acceptance of it in the US. Here it's like the cardinal sin of parenthood, with frequent media attention driving home scary statistics about suffocation and increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

* * *

 

**Clothing and Appearance**

The most obvious is the 'pants' vs 'trousers' situation. In the UK the word 'pants' refers specifically to 'underpants' - no matter how much US media I consume, it _still_ amuses me when characters talk about their pants.

'Bangs' are pretty universally known as 'a fringe' in the UK, and the meaning of 'bangs' might not be readily obvious to the average Brit. As a child I could never make sense of the term, and it wasn't until the internet took off that I finally found out what it meant!

Ubiquitous UK TV presenter [Dawn O'Porter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_O'Porter) sporting a bob with fringe.

Braces and Suspenders. In the UK we wear 'suspenders' to hold up stockings, as with a [suspender belt](http://www.axfords.com/images/B124_w_227_320.jpg) for instance. '[Braces](http://www.simonandsimononline.com/ProductImages/SaS-Braces-LB01-Luxury-red/Rollover.jpg)', on the other hand, are typically worn to hold up trousers, a fashion beloved by ska fans and old men.

'Fanny Pack' is a term which is guaranteed to cause hilarity in the UK. ('Fanny' is a common slang word for a lady's genitalia.) We call them 'bum bags', though they're still considered terminally uncool.

Famous UK bum bag wearers include fitness guru [Mr Motivator](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derrick_Evans) and any depiction of 1990s middle aged tourists.

Jumpers are woollen pullovers, suitable for winter wear. ('Sweaters' and 'jerseys' are perceived to be more lightweight pieces of clothing.) 'Christmas Jumpers', emblazoned with reindeer, snowflakes, Father Christmas and the like, are one of the nation's favourite novelty gifts. Perhaps the UK's most famous advocate of the novelty jumper is former weatherman [Michael Fish](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Fish) whose fans would send him their own knitted creations to wear on air. The type of dress sometimes known as a jumper in the US would be called a 'pinafore dress' in the UK.

Michael Fish is also famous for reassuring viewers that rumours of hurricane force winds were no cause for alarm just hours before the [Great Storm of 1987](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Storm_of_1987).

Vest vs. Waistcoat. In the UK a 'vest' is the piece of underwear known as an 'undershirt' in the US - though it is often worn as outerwear today, as gym wear for example. What would be called a 'vest' in the US is a 'waistcoat' here:

  

Vest                                                           Waistcoats

While we use the term 'shaggy' to mean something a little rough or tangled (eg. 'a shaggy dog'), the verb 'to shag' has a very different meaning in the UK. The Green Day line (from Burnout) '[my hair is shagging in my eyes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoJ6TPUG1Tk)' means 'my hair is having sex in my eyes' to a British listener!

'Sneakers' are recognised as a very American sounding term, though it is used. The usual term for sport shoes is 'trainers' today, though in the past other terms have been more popular. In the 1970s and 80s you might have heard the generic 'daps / dappers' (today the term tends to refer specifically to the kind of PE shoe worn by primary school age children, see [HERE](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/School_plimsolls.jpg)) as in the popular '[Green Flash Daps](http://www.rawshoe.co.uk/Shoe%20Images/Dunlop/Dunlop%20Green%20Flash.jpg)' ([Dunlop](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunlop_Rubber) sport shoes) or 'bumpers' (usually the more Converse type shoes and low tops). _Before_ that they would have likely been called 'plimsolls' or 'plimmies'. 

'Tights' cover both the US 'tights' and 'pantyhose' (i.e. thinner, more sheer tights). 

* * *

 

**Health**

The main difference between healthcare in the UK and the US is that we pay for it via taxes, not via individual / family insurance. (That's not to say you can't take out health insurance - one of the big determiners of middle class status is having health insurance with a firm like [Bupa](http://www.bupa.co.uk/) \- but you don't _need_  to.) After WW2 the Labour government succeeded in introducing the NHS, '[National Health Service](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Health_Service)', turning Minister for Health [Nye Bevan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aneurin_Bevan) into a national hero. If I told you I've heard him described as a God, I wouldn't even be exaggerating. Today the NHS is more or less sacred, and even the most right wing know better than to openly attack the system if they want to win votes. Dental care and opticians services are not free (depending on income), but they are heavily subsidised by the NHS. 

'Antenatal' is the UK term for 'prenatal', and antenatal care is one of the key functions of the NHS. The exact detail of treatment will depend on the health board covering the area in which you live - for example some will offer elective cesarean sections, while others won't. There's an interesting blog post [HERE](http://www.pregtastic.com/pregnancy-care-and-birthing-options-us-versus-uk/) comparing antenatal care in the US and the UK. Once the baby is born both parents are entitled to paid leave from work (more info [HERE](http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/maternity-paternity-leave-benefits.aspx#close)).

'Bandaid' is a term which would more than likely be understood by everyone in the UK, but domestically we would say 'plaster', a contraction of the brand name '[Elastoplast](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elastoplast)'. 

The 'doctor's office' is more commonly known as the '[doctor's] surgery' - the office would be their actual consulting room.

'ER' (Emergency Room) becomes 'A & E' (Accident and Emergency) or 'Casualty'. The latter is also the name of a long running BBC medical drama, read more [HERE](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualty_\(TV_series\)).

When you get old in the UK you become an OAP, or Old Age Pensioner (just 'pensioner' is fine too). 'Senior Citizen' evokes all we're told in the UK about US customer service, and the respect they show their elders. It hasn't moved anyone in the UK to actually adopt the phrase. 

* * *

 

**Sport**

What Brits call 'football' Americans would call 'soccer'. We call US football 'American Football', and it generates very little interest in the UK where it is commonly perceived as being the same as [rugby](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby) \- just with protective clothing...


End file.
